The Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration was established to synthesize data from high quality randomized trials on acupuncture for chronic pain. Trialists joining the collaboration provide raw data from their trial. Each data set is converted into a standardized format and then combined into a single data set for meta-analysis. The primary question addressed by the collaboration is the effect size of acupuncture in comparison to both sham acupuncture and to usual care control. A number of secondary analyses will be conducted, including evaluating variations in the effects of acupuncture by indication, acupuncture characteristics, and types of sham, as well as an assessment of the time course of acupuncture effects. Analyses will also be conducted to see if the type of acupuncture used, traditional Chinese or Western, affects outcome. At the time of writing, members of the Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration have conducted a total of 25 chronic pain trials including over 18,000 patients. We hope that our approach can serve as a model for future studies in acupuncture and other complementary therapies: we strongly believe that it is only by breaking down the oppositional culture of competing trialists, and sharing data in a robust scientific collaboration, that we can best translate clinical trial findings into patient benefit.